Banaras Hindu University (BHU) is burning. It is burning with rage, burning with anguish – burning because they had dared to speak up against eve-teasing. Police forces were used to crack down on them.

But why? Because that is how the powerful tackle the problem when they see that the issue has gone out of hands.

What exactly do they mean when they say that the problem has “gone out of hands”? Usually, they refer to situations when the ‘helpless’ and the ‘voiceless’ take up charge and question the ongoing norm.

The protests in one of India’s foremost educational institutes began on September 21 over lack of safety inside the campus after a first-year student alleged that she was molested by three bike-borne men. The students said that the administration indulged in victim-blaming instead of arranging for proper security in the campus.

Violence broke out on Saturday night after security guards at the university stopped students from meeting Vice-Chancellor Girish Chandra Tripathi at his residence. Soon, the police were called in.

The Vice-Chancellor has promised action, saying the university will soon install CCTV cameras inside the campus.

Nearly 1,500 policemen including personnel of the Provincial Armed Constabulary have been deployed in and around the campus to maintain law and order.

People across the country have condemned the incident where unarmed students have been targeted by the police because they had stood for what is right.

In the midst of all this, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath ordered a probe into Saturday night’s violence inside the campus and the police have filed FIRs against 1,200 students who dared to raise their voices.

However, this should be the right time to remind ourselves that casual sexism and eve-teasing are a constant feature of Indian educational institutes. The clamour for a “safe campus” might be sound new to the ears of those who consider themselves the gatekeepers of the Indian tradition and culture. But it is not. Surprised? Well, we do not intend to place the entire onus on them. After all, we have grown up listening to “Khud ko kya samajhti hai, Itna Akadti hai…College mein nayi nayi aayi ek ladki hai” (What does she think of herself, she is so arrogant – she is just a fresher to the college).

Eve-teasing and casual sexism have been so normalised in our society that we do not think it necessary to look up from our daily chores and stop an incident that occurs right in front of our eyes, in broad daylight. Or better even, we resort to victim-blaming and asking questions like: “But what was the girl doing out so late?” or “C’mon, she was drunk and was partying with her male friends – she brought this upon herself.”

Curfew hours are a common tool that are used by college authorities to reduce the violence against women. But what can be more flimsy that locking a girl in the hostel premises because there are fearful beasts loitering around.

It is essential to not just understand that no one, and I repeat, no one should go through the horrendous experiences of eve-teasing. It is never justified, and it can never serve as a medium of breaking the ice between men and women.

Stalking, eve-teasing, making unwanted sexual overtures to women – these are not the way to endear oneself to them because we are not part of a Bollywood narrative. Simple enough to understand? Disinterest should be respected because ‘a no means a no’.

The BHU incident should be an eye-opener for all those who had preferred to live in their bubble where an eve-teasing is a benign act. We need to make public spaces, especially education institutes, safe for women so that they can reclaim what is rightfully theirs.

This incident should also serve as a source to embolden those voices who dared to stand up despite the consequences. It is important that we come out and protest against the wrongs that have been normalised. If all of us bow down to societal pressures and the machinations of the powerful and wait for the parasite to affect us individually, there will be no one to stand behind us, as had been pointed by Niemoller. This should be a clarion call for all those firebrands who believe: “For half the earth and half the sky, we shall fight, and we shall win.”

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Even at 76, Pradip Burman, the zestful chairman of Mobius Foundation radiates a contagious enthusiasm when he is talking about sustainability. The environmental crusader, better known to many as the great-grandson of Dabur founder Dr S.K.Burman, has devoted substantial attention towards promoting the concept of sustainability in all aspects of life. He refuses to conform to the convenience and comfort in today’s world which ultimately adds on to the adverse effects of climate change.

Talking to The Logical Indian, Burman emphasised why sustainability as a concept is indispensable for us. “We ought to be aware of what lies ahead of us. Soon we will finish the oil, iron, tin, and coal, and our next generations will be left with nothing. Recycling, banning plastics, stop felling trees for paper… This should become a part of everyone’s lifestyle,” he urges.

Mr Burman watering a sapling at the tree plantation drive organised by his non-profit Mobius Foundation

Traditional wisdom and modern research

A mechanical engineer from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), USA, Burman had always nurtured a keen interest in helping the society, as evident from his graduation project of designing a sonic aid for the visually challenged, which detected obstacles in the way using ultrasonic wave signals.

As an executive for the nature-centric company Dabur, Burman has always opted for natural alternatives to solve his everyday problems like taking Ayurvedic medicine to cure his Arthritis. He later launched the veterinary wing for Dabur – Ayurvet – which provides nature-friendly solutions for animal health care.

A patron of the ancient scientific wisdom of India, Burman always hailed the confluence of “traditional knowledge and modern research”, which he advocated as the Ayurvet motto.

Ayurvet is one of the best ventures by Mr Burman

As part of the CSR initiative of Dabur, Pradip Burman founded SUNDESH (Sustainable Development Society) which has been tirelessly working for last 25 years in remote villages for uplifting the rural communities in an environmentally sustainable way.

An advocate of sustainability

Burman believes that sustainability is the indispensable mantra for the world at present. Due to uncontrolled utilisation of the planet’s resources by human beings, the world today stands at a juncture of destabilisation. Today the human race has reached the pinnacle of progress but the advancement is happening in a very unsustainable manner.

Through energy-efficient use of everyday essentials like transport, communication, altered habits of diet, clothing and daily living, some crusaders of sustainability try to reduce their carbon footprint. Pradip Burman’s Mobius Foundation is one of the forerunners toward sustainability goals.

Mobius Foundation aims to change the sustainability dynamics

In 2015, Burman paved the way for the start of Mobius Foundation, focused on sustainability. Named after 18th-century German mathematician August Ferdinand Mobius, the famous Mobius strip has an important philosophical significance. The extraordinary shape symbolises balance and union.

Similar is the essence of Mobius Foundation which wishes to enhance the “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle” principle to a widespread basis in India, helping generations to come.

Founder Pradip Burman wishes to achieve notable development in education, population stabilisation and renewable energy projects.

A dream school in the making

At Coorg, Pradip Burman’s Mobius Foundation is constructing the World Environment School, Coorg (WESc) where the curriculum will surpass the boundaries of books and classrooms, with a special focus on hands-on learning in close collaboration with the environment. Amidst the pristine natural beauty of Coorg, the school will nurture young minds to grow up into future green leaders. As of now, the school will be open to teenagers, welcoming students from standards 6 to 12.

Needless to say, World Environment School will be the first-of-its-kind not only in India but also in entire South Asia. The school is expected to start from March 2020.

The school promises to nurture the responsible behaviour of citizens of our future.

The Sustainability Conference of 2019

In 2019, the Mobius Foundation has planned an international conference, on the lines of the celebrated earth summits over the past decade. The 2019 International Conference on Sustainability Education (ICSE 2019) aims to bring together environmental activists, practitioners of sustainable development as well as climate change experts to help develop a sustainability-focused curriculum.

It is surmised that the conference will give a platform to innovative concepts of Sustainability Education including an essential change in the existing education system ensuring a wholesome personal development for a student.

The Sustainability crusader

The Mobius founder strongly believes that it is high time to sprout sustainability awareness among a society drowning in consumerism and unknowingly doing irreparable harm to the planet, every second. The best way to achieve this goal is through education which is available to all. At present, the education system is predominantly career-oriented, making the learners a victim of materialism, and thus, their dreams are also outlined in those colours.

Living beyond the limits

When asked about his wish to attain the age of hundred, he strongly asserts that more than becoming a centurion, he wishes his life and work continue to better the society even in his absence. “I have lived my life. I wish that whatever I start before I go, will continue – for the betterment of my country,” says Mr Pradip Burman.

He is also a trustee of the Climate Reality Project – India (affiliated to Mr. Al Gore of the Climate Reality Project Foundation, USA). Climate Reality Project, India, has been actively engaged igniting the spark and spreading the message of climate change amongst educators, policy makers and civil society. The India branch looks after more than 500 trained Climate Leaders, and more than 900 volunteers spread all over the country.

In his journey, Pradip Burman has been a beacon of hope for millions, motivating many to join the movement for sustainability. We wish he continues his tireless efforts for promoting sustainability awareness and inspire generations to come.